off on a tangent WIP

[Smudgedperspective]

I decided to move onto something else before I got too frustrated with the other stuff I was working on. A friend asked me to draw this person. It doesn't look anything like them. So. That's alright. I like it better this way and I think I'm just going to go on and change it a bit more, further from the reference to make it my own. I can do another for him from a ref i like better. I figured I'd try my hand at the hatch and stump technique with charcoal and chalk. This is one layer hatched then stumped with a bit more hatch :D . I haven't begun to build up too much detail yet. Thought I would share my progress- always makes me feel better about my progress. A nice day to you all- Lauren

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/03-Jan-2004/9746-LivWip1.jpg

[PthaloBlueGirl]

I know who this is! I know who this is! It may not look exactly like her, though it is enough to be recognizable. It is that dark haired elf lady from Lord Of The Rings.

No spoilers! I have to wait until the movie is on video or till the end of the year for payperview. Movie theaters are cold.

Looks nice!

:D

[Smudgedperspective]

Good guess! Yup, this is Arwen. Or at least is supposed to be. It'll prob be someone different tomorrow. Especially since I want an excuse to not have to give this away. Thanks for looking!-Lauren
(btw, the third movie was worth the wait. I loved it. Such a shame there's not a fourth. what was Tolkien thinking?)

[Eugene Veszely]

I can see the resemblance to Arwen/Liv Tyler :)

[Alan Cross]

Good job so far.....the hair looks really good.
Alan :)

[ArtistNamePending]

I thought I'd I share my first attempt at the stump and hatch approach. I was very lazy about likeness in this, rather more interested in the technique. My biggest mistake with this image was that i used low grade materials -- conte on brown paper bag. Proper materials is imperative for this technique. One thing I found similar in your image and mine was the over-emphasis of the contours of the anatomy, that is, the outlines aren't subtle enough. Its something I struggle with and the faces always look older than they should be. Any suggestions to help overcome this problem other than 'keep practicing, you'll get better'?

[Smudgedperspective]

I think we both might be having a bit too much fun with those bright whites... They just look so pretty on tinted paper. I know I'm having a hard time getting tints of white. it's either paper or white, hard to get those midtones... I too am using fairly cheap materials, the 55cent white charcoal pencil i have doesn't blend very well and my stump.... well it's so old and dirty that it makes everything too grimy. i've resorted back to blending with a paint brush. i'd post an update since i've worked a bit more on mine but i left it one my shelf at school. im itching to work on it too. but i should be able to upload something tomorrow. :-).

btw, that's a beautiful drawing, very emotional looking expression. the only thing i know about aging drawings is to try and be very very subtle; something im still working at. delicate lines and soft fleshyness. now if only i could follow my own advice. Have a nice evening!-Lauren :)

[ArtistNamePending]

Would there be much difference in using a stump instead of a brush? The brush idea is a good one. Stumps are a bit more cumbersome to use. Definitely buy yourself a soft pastel white and black stick. It will bring you a lot more control into the shading and will enhance the contrast by a big factor.

Speaking of subtlety of line, it seems as we get older our ability to soft curved lines diminishes, whereas for young children have difficulty in drawing more edgier lines. There's an article on the web demonstrating this (can't find it at the moment), and i tried it out for myself, and does seem to be the case.

[Smudgedperspective]

Ok... it's taken me a while to work on this one. At least a whole week :rolleyes: . I think I might nearly be done with this one, but i would appreciate y'alls imput. Thanks for looking!-Lauren

[Alan Cross]

I really like the look you got with her eyes and mouth....nice work.
Alan :)

[Smudgedperspective]

Thanks Alan- I really like the mouth on this one. Some of the lighter tones didnt scan too well though, so it looks a little shorter across than it actually is. Since I posted I've gone back and changed a lot of the shadows under the edge of the chin and alon the collar bone and the pokey-vertical-bone-thingy (it's a good thing i dont want to go into medicine) that goes up the neck. It looks a lot better I think, rounding the face out a bit more. I'll have to scan and post first chance i get. Thanks for looking! Lauren

[bdswagger]

Its something I struggle with and the faces always look older than they should be. Any suggestions to help overcome this problem other than 'keep practicing, you'll get better'?

Are you refering to you MODEL looking older than they are? I wasn't sure if that's what you meant, but I'm going to comment in that vein.

On this one, the eyes look much older than the firmness of the face would suggest. Possibly lightening up the shadow area directly under the eyes would help on this. Also, try using softer shadows, smugh (sp?) rather than crosshatch/lines.

Overall it's a nice piece though.
Leigh